Teaching kids about the value of money is important to their future financial health, spending and saving decisions, while helping them practice critical mental math skills. Why not teach them about this critical concept by using fun ways to teach money? Keep reading to discover 5 fun ways to teach kids about the value of money!

Money Sorting Cards

This game is great for little learners just starting out! Teach your child to recognize coins to learn their value!

What You’ll Need:

Plenty of loose change containing a variety of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters

Construction or printer paper

Marker or crayon

How to play:

Prepare the money cards ahead of time. Create 4 cards, which can be either hand drawn or printed. Separate the page into four sections by either drawing lines, or folding the paper to make 4 big squares. With your marker, label each square with a different coin denomination. Spell out the coin’s name and print the numerical value next to the word. Do this for each square. On your other 3 cards, do the same thing, but switch up the order on each page. Have your kids sort out the coins, and match them up to the correct box on their money card to teach them how to identify each coin!

Money Bingo

This game works best with multiple children or family members. Host a game night, and decide the prizes! This game uses the familiar rules of Bingo, but uses coins and their value as the premise for the game.

What You’ll Need:

Small pieces of paper or card stock to making Bingo calling cards. Fold the papers and put them into a basket or hat for gameplay!

How to Play:

Be sure to make the Bingo game boards and cards and ahead of time. Simply create a game board containing the number of squares you think is best for the level of your children. For each bingo game board, list a varying amount of coin values on each square. Prepare the smaller cards to include each Bingo letter and coin value to be picked at random. To start gameplay, choose a grownup to call out the Bingo letters using the calling cards. Instruct the children to find the coin that is called out to place on their Bingo board in the correct place. The first player to call out Bingo wins!

Coin Clocks

Here’s something fun your child can make using coins! They’ll have a blast counting the coins as they create their clock.

What You’ll Need:

Loose pennies, nickels, and dimes

Construction paper, or card stock

Washable markers

Hot glue gun (optional)

How to make it:

Help your child to draw a large circle to fit the size of the paper. Starting with 1 o’clock, help your little learner count and collect the coins needed to add up to the number on the clock. For instance, choose 1 penny for 1 o’clock, and use 2 nickels (or any other combination of coins) for 10 o’clock. Working around the clock, your child can either place the coins down, or you can use a glue gun if your child is making something more permanent. When finished with the clock, help your child draw minute and hour hands, and hang up their new craft wherever they want to decorate!

Money Eggs

As your child gains competency with identifying money and counting coin values, give them something trickier to work on, like these fun money egg using plastic Easter eggs from their last Easter egg hunt!

What You’ll Need:

4-5 plastic Easter eggs

A variety of loose change in different denominations

A permanent marker

How to Play:

On each Easter egg, simply write the amount that you want your child count to put in the egg. For instance, write down a random number under a dollar, like .45 cents. Instruct your child to use the coins provided to count out the amount listed on each egg and add to the egg. They’ll have a great time seeing just how much each amount looks like! Once finished, encourage him to add as much change to each egg as possible. Working one by one, dump out the egg and help him count the difference between what’s written on the egg, and how much extra was added!

Restaurant/Cooking Comparison

It’s important to keep increasing the bar when it comes to your child’s learning. For older children, go from teaching money denominations to teaching the value of money and budgeting! For this activity, you can:

Treat your family to a meal out at a restaurant. Help your child add up the amount their meal cost, including all the menu items your little learner ordered.

Find a recipe at home to recreate the meal your child ate at the restaurant and compile a list of ingredients.

Go shopping with your child and help her pick out all the ingredients, marking down the price of each item. Have your child compare the price to make it at home, versus the price at the restaurant. Which is more expensive?

These are just a few fun activities for teaching your child all about money. Don’t forget to supplement their learning with money printable worksheets to give your child a variety of ways to learn! Written exercises, like money math worksheets can serve as great practice for learning money while they work on math skills to boost their learning! No matter which activities you choose, let’s have fun learning about money with Kids Academy!